SEATTLE - The Paramount Theater opened its Broadway season last night under new bright lights that will reduce the historic theater's energy consumption enough to save $43,000 each year.

The $438,000 project replaced about 4,800 lights at the Paramount, including its massive chandeliers, with energy efficient LEDs, compact fluorescent lamps and T-8 tube lighting. Seattle City Light supported the project with $136,000 in energy efficiency incentives.

"When you consider the number of bulbs in this theatre and what it takes to simply keep them all in good working order, this project is just good dollars and sense," Seattle Theater Group Executive Director Josh LaBelle said. "Part of being a good steward of these historic venues, also means being a good environmental citizen, and this lighting project helps us accomplish such in great measure."

This is the second lighting upgrade City Light has helped the Paramount complete. In 2009, utility incentives supported a retrofit of the Paramount's signature neon sign. In both projects, the upgrades were made while preserving the historical character of the theater.

"The Paramount Theater demonstrates how energy efficient lighting can meet the needs of the most demanding professionals and audience members, while lowering operating costs," Conservation Resources Director Glenn Atwood said. "We are excited to partner with the Paramount in another act in our long-running conservation program, in which helping our customers use electricity more efficiently provides the first-choice energy resource for the future."

Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to nearly 1 million Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.